Engineering the CdS-CeO2 Janus Z-scheme structures for highly efficient photocatalytic pollutant degradation and CO2 reduction

In nanosynthesis, precise structural tailoring is crucial for modulating the properties of hybrid materials. For photocatalysts, structural configuration of the composed materials is a key factor for improving their efficiency. In this study, the CdS-CeO 2 hybrids in core-satellite and core-shell structures were successfully synthesized via accurate kinetic control in a seed-mediated growth process. Due to the Z -scheme charge transfer mechanism, excellent photocatalytic activity was observed in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) and CO 2 reduction reactions (CO 2 RR). Notably, the Janus-type core-satellite structure exhibited significantly higher photocatalytic activity than the core-shell structure. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the spatial separation of the CdS and CeO 2 domains in core-satellite structure led to continuous fast separation and transfer of the photogenerated holes and electrons (h + and e − ) to different exposed domains, whereby can be depleted immediately, resembling the electron sink effect. While in core-shell structure, the transfer of the excited carriers to different domain would inevitably cause charge accumulation at the inner core, which obstruct the further charge separation and transfer. Our study provides an effective general way for promoting the charge separation efficiency in hybrid photocatalyst, which is helpful for the rational design and synthesis of advanced photocatalyst.